Rural Hill Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
104 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Brett VA · CC BY 2.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Huntersville
11% of Huntersville’s land is conserved: 2,995 acres
The biggest trail networks: Rural Hill Nature Preserve (1.4 mi), Huntersville Athletic Park (0.9 mi), Latta Nature Preserve (0.5 mi). 1,390 acres are parks and preserves, 22 per 1,000 residents. 78% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns · #49 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
2,995 acres · of 42.1 sq mi of land
Trails
10 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,390 ac
22 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
78%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
29 mi
11 mi lanes · 16 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
7
What kind of outdoors town is Huntersville?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Huntersville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Huntersville is ahead of 71% of U.S. towns, #49 of 290 in North Carolina. Conserved land holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Huntersville’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical NC town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · NC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land22 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,390 acres) · NC 8 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home78% of residents within a half mile of a park · NC 51% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 71%
LessMore
North Carolina towns of 2,500+ (290)Ahead of 83%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A−. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Rural Hill Nature Preserve, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Huntersville Athletic Park
Park
47 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Latta Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
119 acres0.5 mi of trail
Hill Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 18 parks & preserves
Rural Hill Nature Preserve104 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsHuntersville Athletic Park47 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsLatta Nature Preserve119 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsRosedale Nature park10 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsMcDowell Creek Park69 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJohn M. Holbrook Memorial Park14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsStephen's Road Nature Preserve346 acres
Auten Nature Preserve239 acres
Torrence Creek Greenway206 acres
DirectionsRobert C. Bradford Regional Park166 acres
DirectionsNorth Mecklenburg Park96 acres
DirectionsMcDowell Creek Greenway74 acres
DirectionsRichard Barry Memorial Park42 acres
DirectionsDavid B. Waymer Park14 acres
DirectionsCowan's Ford Wildlife Refuge11 acres
Central Park in Skybrook5 acres
McDowell Creek Greenway Trailhead1 acres
DirectionsVeterans Park1 acres · Town of Huntersville
DirectionsWho protects it
2,995 conserved acres
11% of Huntersville’s land. Who manages Huntersville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,029 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits333 ac
State natural resources160 ac
State conservation91 ac
Regional agency12 ac
Town or city10 ac
Other state land4 ac
Local Conservation Area · 2,290 acLocal Park · 1,032 acUnknown Easement · 424 acLocal Other or Unknown · 423 acLocal Recreation Area · 193 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 82 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 19 of 53 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mecklenburg County Open Space Local Park | County | 1,081 | Open |
| City of Charlotte Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 372 | Unknown |
| Mecklenburg County Open Space - Stephen's Road Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 351 | Restricted |
| Mecklenburg County Open Space - Gar Creek Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 341 | Restricted |
| Mecklenburg County Open Space - Auten Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 245 | Restricted |
| Mecklenburg County Open Space - McDowell Creek Greenway Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 219 | Open |
| Mecklenburg County Open Space - Torrence Creek Greenway Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 175 | Open |
| Mecklenburg County Open Space - R.C. Bradford Park Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 166 | Restricted |
| Mecklenburg County Open Space - Cook Park Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 147 | Open |
| Mecklenburg County Open Space - Rural Hill Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 145 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
58 places to go in Huntersville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Huntersville
53 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Huntersville
Rosedale Dog park
DirectionsPlus 2 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Huntersville
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.1 mi
Hill Trail0.2 mi
Golden Lake Crescent0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
29 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
11 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
16 mi
off-road bike paths
2.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
64Tennis
26Baseball
18Basketball
13Pickleball
12Soccer
6Football
5Beach volleyball
1Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →11 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Cedar GroveBuilding · listed 1972
About itLatta HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itHolly BendBuilding · listed 1972
About itBenjamin W. Davidson HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itJohn F. Ewart FarmDistrict · listed 1991
About itSamuel J. McElroy HouseBuilding · listed 1991
About itRamah Presbyterian Church and CemeteryBuilding · listed 1991
About itHopewell Presbyterian Church and CemeteryDistrict · listed 1996
About itAlbert McCoy FarmDistrict · listed 2000
About itHuntersville Colored High SchoolBuilding · listed 2009
About itInglesideBuilding · listed 2020
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Huntersville: April to June
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.0 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 51 | 55 | 63 | 72 | 79 | 86 | 89 | 87 | 82 | 72 | 62 | 54 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.7 |
October is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 4.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Huntersville →
Next door
Huntersville and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Huntersville
Where can I hike in Huntersville?
The longest trail networks: Rural Hill Nature Preserve, 1.4 miles; Huntersville Athletic Park, 0.9 miles; Latta Nature Preserve, 0.5 miles; Rosedale Nature park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Huntersville is conserved land?
11% of its land, against a typical 3% for a North Carolina town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Huntersville’s trails?
Rural Hill Nature Preserve and Huntersville Athletic Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Huntersville?
29 miles of bike routes are on the map: 11 of painted or protected lanes, 16 of off-road paths and 2.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Huntersville?
10,599 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Huntersville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,390 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Huntersville have?
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #49 of 290 in North Carolina. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Huntersville neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →